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BUFFALO, NY - The State University of New York (SUNY) All-Star team, including four University at Buffalo baseball players, posted a 2-1 record to earn third place at the Eighth Matsumae Memorial International College Baseball Tournament played at Moscow State University in Russia last week.

Twenty-one players from 11 SUNY campuses made up the SUNY All-Star team, and the tournament included three teams from Japan, two from Russia and one from Korea and the Ukraine. Seniors-to-be Adrian Daniels (Spencerport, NY/Spencerport), Brandon DiCesare (Rochester, NY/McQuaid Jesuit) and Tyler Balentine (Mendon, NY/Honeoye Falls-Lima) and sophomore-to-be Joe Mihalics (Tonawanda, NY/Timon-St. Jude) represented the Bulls on the SUNY All-Star team, and Buffalo head coach Bill Breene served as an assistant coach to Cortland State's head coach Joe Brown. At the conclusion of the tournament, DiCesare was named the team's Most Valuable Player.

The SUNY All-Stars opened the tournament with a 4-2 victory over International Budo University on Wednesday, thanks to a solid pitching performance by Balentine who allowed just one run and struck out five batters to pick up the win on the mound. Tokay University put the SUNY All-Stars in the third-place game by defeating them 7-4 in game two on Thursday, and Daniels, DiCesare and Mihalics played a large part in SUNY's come-from-behind 7-6 win in the bottom of the ninth inning against Han Yang University of South Korea on Friday. The Koreans hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning to go up 6-4, but Albany's Tony Vallone led off with a triple to start the SUNY rally in the bottom of the ninth. Daniels drove in Vallone with a sacrifice fly to center, and Mihalics then reached on an error by the second baseman and advanced to third on a single by DiCesare. Mihalics crossed the plate with the tying run on a wild pitch, and another wild pitch two batters later brought home Albany's Joe Lamb, who was pinch-running for DiCesare, with the game-winning run.

The SUNY All-Stars received the Bronze Matsumae Cup and medals for their third-place finish. DiCesare was named the team's MVP after batting .500 (5-for-10) with one RBI in the three games. "It's a great honor to receive an award at an international event," said DiCesare. "This has been a great experience for me."

2002 SUNY All-Star Baseball Team

SUNY All-Star Baseball Team

Front Row: Adam Gomez (SUNY Old Westbury), Adam Waite (SUNY Brockport), Anthony Durso (SUNY IT), Brandon DiCesare (SUNY Buffalo), Chris Silva (SUNY Farmingdale), Joe Mihalics (SUNY Buffalo), Brendan Heslin (SUNY Oneonta)

Middle Row: Adrian Daniels (SUNY Buffalo), Ned Van Allan (Monroe CC), Bobby Krogh (Hudson Valley CC), Joe Lamb (SUNY Albany), Justin Meagher (Hudson Valley CC), Rick Vesely (SUNY Oneonta), Head Coach Joe Brown (SUNY Cortland)

Back Row: Asst. Coach Bill Breene (SUNY Buffalo), Phil Artonio (SUNY Binghamton), Tom Cashman (Erie CC), Bob Kelly (SUNY Oneonta), Mike Dziok (Mohawk Valley CC), Jacob Thiel (San Bruno, CA/Capuchino), Tyler Balentine (SUNY Buffalo), Alex Rybczak (Monroe CC), Tony Vallone (SUNY Albany), Asst. Coach Kerry Kellogg (Jamestown CC)

Photo by Fred Bruder